Alexander T. Taubes is a civil-rights and criminal-defense attorney in solo practice in New Haven, Connecticut, and a graduate of Yale Law School. His practice includes police-brutality, wrongful-death and post-conviction cases, and he has taught as a visiting clinical lecturer at Yale Law School.
Case
Connecticut charges incarcerated people up to $347 a day and can collect the debt for 20 years after release, including from settlements and inheritances. A 2026 investigation found the state collected about $21 million this way since 2020.
Role at the time: Civil-rights and criminal-defense attorney
Statement summary
Taubes, a New Haven civil-rights attorney, said carrying incarceration debt makes it harder for formerly incarcerated people to reintegrate into society.
“It hurts people's ability to reintegrate into society when they carry these debts”
Taubes criticizes the practical effect of the debt on people rebuilding their lives after release.
Statement dates: September 27, 2026
